In recent years, the electronic parts packaging machine for packaging automatically the chip-type electronic parts, and the like on the board is necessary and indispensable for the step of assembling the electronic circuit board. As the electronic parts packaging machine, there is the machine equipped with the parts supplying system that supplies the parts by employing the taped-components.
The taped-components have such a structure that an upper surface of a carrier tape that contains housing portions to house the chip-type electronic parts, and the like therein is covered with a releasable top tape.
The parts supplying system employing the taped components can take out the electronic parts set in the housing portions of the carrier tape while releasing the top tape that covers the upper surface of the carrier tape, and then supply the parts to the electronic parts packaging machine.
Meanwhile, with improvement of the productivity of the electronic parts packaging machine, recently the exchanging operation of the carrier tape in the parts supplying system is carried out at a short interval.
The top tape released from the carrier tape has an adhesive face on both end portions in the axial direction. Therefore, as the system for processing the released top tape, the system equipped with the mechanism for folding the adhesive face of the released top tape and then discharging the top tape (e.g., see JP-A-2001-308587 (FIG. 4, paragraphs 0051 to 0066): Patent Literature 1) and also the system equipped with the mechanism for winding the released top tape onto the reel member to recover (e.g., JP-A-11-46091: Patent Literature 2 and JP-A-7-212082: Patent Literature 3) were proposed in the prior art.
The technology in the parts supplying system and the parts supplying method disclosed in respective Patent Literatures in the prior art and their problems will be explained hereunder.
At first, the technology in Patent Literature 1 will be explained. FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 show together the parts supplying system disclosed in Patent Literature 1.
FIG. 22(a) is a front view showing a pertinent portion of the parts supplying system in the prior art and FIG. 22(b) is a plan view showing a pertinent portion of the portion. FIG. 23 shows the taped-components, wherein (a) is a front view and (b) is a plan view.
As shown in Figures, housing portions 102 in which an electronic parts 103 is housed respectively are provided to a carrier tape 101 of a taped-components 140, and a surface of the carrier tape is covered with a top tape 104 to prevent the flying-out of the electronic parts.
The top tape and the carrier tape are jointed via the adhesive faces provided to both end portions of the top tape in the axial direction such that the top tape can be released.
The taped-components 140 are wound onto a reel 19 and installed in a parts supplying system 141. Then, the taped- components are put on a feed wheel (not shown) having pin-type projections that are allotted every predetermined angle, and then such taped-components are transferred by the rotation of the feed wheel by a predetermined distance.
When the taped-components are transferred by the feed wheel at a predetermined pitch while releasing the top tape 104, the electronic parts 103 is picked up by a suction nozzle (not shown) of the electronic parts mounting machine.
As shown in FIG. 22(b) the top tape 104 released from the carrier tape is folded in two by a roller 128, which is provided at the rear in the traveling direction of the carrier tape, to have a fold at a center portion of the top tape in its width direction such that both adhesive faces of the top tape come into contact with each other. Then, this top tape is discharged to the outside of the parts supplying system by a discharge roller 113.
However, according to the above configuration, in some cases the fold is displaced when the released top tape is folded double such that the adhesive faces provided to both end portions of the top tape in the width direction are jointed together. In such case, since a part of the adhesive face is exposed and adheres to the feed roller and thus it is possible that such top tape winds round the feed roller, the periodical cleaning working is required.
Also, the top tapes discharged from a plurality of neighboring parts supplying systems are adhered and have got entangled mutually or adhered to the wall surface, etc. of the discharging portion. Therefore, the top tap dispose space cannot be effectively used, and thus a cleaning frequency of the dispose space is increased.
In addition, there existed the problem that, if the released top tape is fed into the feed roller in its flat state without the folding, such top tape is discharged continuously in its flat state as it is and thus such top tape is never folded in two.
Next, the technologies disclosed in Patent Literature 2 and Patent Literature 3 will be explained hereunder.
In the parts supplying system disclosed in Patent Literature 2, the carrier tape which has the housing portions for the electronic parts and an upper surface of which is covered with the releasable top tape is transferred along the transfer surface, and then the electronic parts can be taken out from the housing portion by winding the carrier tape onto the reel member while releasing the top tape from the carrier tape. In this parts supplying system, the winding face of the reel member is formed into a shape that is inclined toward the guide flange side provided to one end face of the winding drum, and then the top tape is wound on the reel member along the guide flange side.
According to such configuration, the top tape can always be wound onto the reel member in a stable state, the removing operation of the reel member can be executed without trouble, and the rotating resistance of the winding ratchet can be reduced. As a result, the parts supplying system that can prevent the deformation of the winding ratchet not to make the winding failure can be provided, so that improvement in a supply rate of the electronic parts and productivity can be achieved.
Also, in the parts supplying system disclosed in Patent Literature 3, while the taped-components that are housed in the housing tape at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction and covered with the top tape are moved in the longitudinal direction, the parts are supplied sequentially to a predetermined position by separating the top tape from the housing tape in the middle of this moving. In this parts supplying system, the reel for winding the separated top tape has the reel member that the winding drum detachably attached to the driving shaft and the guide flange provided to one end portion of the drum, the auxiliary ring made of inelastic material and having the detent engaging portion is fitted removably onto the outer periphery of the winding drum of the reel member, and the top tape is wound onto the outer periphery of the auxiliary ring.
Also, jig through holes are provided in appropriate numbers in the outer peripheral position of the winding drum of the guide flange portion of the reel member.
According to such configuration, because the auxiliary ring is made of the inelastic material, such a situation is never caused that the auxiliary ring is fitted tightly by the winding pressure when the auxiliary ring fitted onto the winding drum is removed together with the top tape wounded onto this ring, and thus the auxiliary ring can be removed easily from the winding drum. Also, since no obstacle such as the guide flange is present around the removed auxiliary ring and a separating force can be applied from every portion around the periphery, the top tape can be removed easily and quickly. In addition, since the jig through holes are provided in the guide flange, the auxiliary ring can be removed simply and quickly from the winding drum by the jig that is inserted into the jig through hole. As a result, the exchange of the supplied parts can be attained in a short time by mounting the reel member again onto the driving shaft.
However, the winding of the top tape by the reel member is executed while releasing the top tape from the carrier tape. Thus, because the releasing resistance is generated, the top tape is often wound relatively tightly and densely onto the winding drum of the reel member.
Therefore, when the parts exchange is generated in the parts supplying system, the top tape must be rewound from the winding drum when the wound top tape is removed from the winding drum. At that time, the top tape cannot be easily removed from the winding drum to consume much time and labor, and the supply of the parts is stopped for this while. Therefore, it is possible that the supply rate of the electronic parts and productivity are lowered.
Also, in the parts supplying system having the auxiliary ring and the jig through holes, the top tape cannot be easily removed from the auxiliary ring when such top tape is wound tightly and densely onto the auxiliary ring. Then, there is such a possibility that the auxiliary ring is lost because the ring prepared as the separate member is used, and thus the overall parts supplying system cannot be used if such ring is lost. In addition, when the ring is removed by using the jig, the jig operation takes much time and also the cost of equipment of the ring and the jig is needed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a parts supplying system and a parts supplying method capable of preventing exposure of an adhesive face of the released top tape even if a fold is displaced in the case where the adhesive face of the released top tape is to be folded/ processed and capable of folding automatically the adhesive face unless the top tape is previously folded and fed to a feed roller, and also provide a parts supplying system capable of removing easily, quickly, and surely the top tape, which is rolled tightly and densely round a winding drum, not to use a ring and a jig in the case where the released top tape is to be wound on a reel member to recover/process, whereby improvement in a supply rate of the electronic parts and productivity can be achieved.